Gukesh names one quality he's yet to master despite becoming chess world champion: 'I still have to develop...'

D Gukesh had a meteoric rise in his teenage years, displacing Viswanathan Anand as the Indian No 1 in 2023 and becoming the youngest winner in the history of the Fide Candidates as well as the World Championship the following year. Two of those incredible feats were achieved before the Chennai resident turned 18.

Gukesh, however, would experience a dramatic decline not long after breaking Garry Kasparov's record to become the youngest chess world champion of all time in December 2024. The world champion, after all, has had underwhelming performances at key events such as the Fide Grand Swiss and World Cup last year as well as Norway Chess more recently.

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The Indian Grandmaster had finished third in the 2025 Norway Chess in Stavanger, beating world No 1 and home favourite Magnus Carlsen along the way, but ended up with the wooden spoon after finishing at the bottom of the six-player standings this year with just 8 points to his name.

'It is a challenge to switch on and switch off'

The young chess star has learnt many a lesson in the roller-coaster journey that he has had at the highest level of the sport over the last three years. But if there's one skill that Gukesh is yet to master, it is the art of switching off, especially on a 'Rest Day' in the middle of the tournament, and then switching right back on when the action resumes.

"It is a challenge to switch on and switch off. I think that’s one of the qualities that people who are consistent and have sustainable and long careers have. They are able to switch on and switch off when they need to. I still have to develop that quality, but overall I think it was a very nice experience on the rest day," Gukesh was quoted by The Indian Express as telling select journalists after the conclusion of the 2026 Norway Chess in Oslo.

Gukesh will be defending his world title against Javokhir Sindarov, winner of the 2026 Candidates in Cyprus, later this year and has opted for a lighter schedule in order to focus on his training and on regaining his form, withdrawing from the Grand Chess Tour as a result.